Motor-vehicle.



'10.653,855. Patented `luly I7, |900.

V. V. TORBENSEN.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

(Application filed Dec. 2, 1809., (Nd Iludel 5 sh'eets-Shet I.

A TTOHNE Y Tn: Nonms Pnms co. Nom-umm, wAsmNowm n. c.

No. 653,855. Patented luly- I7, i900.

V. V. TURBENSEN.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

(Application filed Dee. 2, 1899.) (No Modem@y 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

fai l MMM Z/ZMM fa/m 1n: Nonms PETERS cn, PnoTauwu. wAsmNGToN. n. c.

(No Model.)

' Patented luly I7, |900. V. V. TURBENSEN.

M0103 vEHlcLl-z.

(Application mea nec. 2, 189:5.)

l 5 Sheets-Shadi 3.

, ATTORNEY v No. 653,855. Patented luly l7,`"l900. V. V. TORBENSEN.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

(App-lcatonled Dec. 2, i899.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 4,

(No Model.)

me Nonms Pcrzns co., vHoToLxTHo.. wAsHmcYoN. u. n.

(No Model.)

W/ TNE SSE S @QJJ V. V. TRBENSEN.

MUTGR VEHICLE.

(Application filed Dec. 2,-1899.)

Patented July I7, |900.

5 Sheets-Slet 5.

/N VEN TOI? Z' d cymm m5666045@ /ATTOHNEY i UNITED 'Sr'./iTi-isg PATENT rricn.

VIGGO V. TORBENSEN, OF BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE T. HARRIS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,855, dated July 17, 19O. Application tiled December 2, 1899. Serial No.1738,969. (No model.)

of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication. l

This invention relates to that class of inotor-carriages in which an in termal-combustion engine is used as the motor, my object, primarily, being to provide a simple and efficient construction and arrangement of engine whereby the excessive vibrations heretofore imparted to the body of the vehicle by the pulsation of the engine shall be obviated; secondly, to provide an engine which shall be compact, self-contained, and mounted Wholly on the driving-axle of the carriage; thirdly, to provide a novel system of diderentialspeed gearing between the engine and the axle whereby the transmission of the power from the former to the latter shall be direct whether the high or the low speed be in operation, and, fourthly, to combine with the engine an electric motor and its complementary parts in suchva manner that the engine may be used not only to propel the carriage, but to actuate the motor as an electric generator, or, instead, the motor may be used to drive the engine as well as the vehicle, or, again, the power vof the motor may be advantageously combined with that of the engine to propelthe vehicle, as the various requirements may demand.

A further object is to maintain the several gears in absolute parallelism relative to each other.

1 obtain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a vehicle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end View thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the engine and the driving-gearing. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, including the vaporizer and the feedpipes therefrom to the engine-cylinders. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of Fig. e with part ofthe casing removed. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of two opposite cylinders, showing the exhaust-valves and actuating means therefor as on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is atransverse vertical section as on the line 7 7 of Fig. 1.` Fig. 8 is a sectional detail of a pair of cylinders, showing the inlet-valves there- The carrying-wheels 5 are mounted on the axle in the usual manner, so as to be rotatable at relatively-different speeds in turning curves, ldac., the axleV including in its yconstruction the bushings 6 and the coacting coupling-gears 7. Mounted on the axle is the 'l supporting-frame S of an internal-combustion engine, which frame, with its appurtenances,

is prevented from turning about the axle by The engine herein illustrated em bodies four vertical cylinders 10,arranged in pairs,whereof one pair is disposed on one side of the axle and the other pair directly opposite thereto on the other side of the axle. The pistons 11 of the respective cylinders are connected by means of their rods 12 with the arms of a common walking-beam 13, the shaft 14 of which has its bearings in the sides of the supporting-frame. This beam is connected by means ofrarodl with an overlying crank-shaft 16, which is journaled in suitable boxes 17 on the top of the cylinders, whereby when the e11- gine is driven motion is transmitted therefrom to said shaft. This shaft is geared by differential-speed gearing with the drivingaxle of the carriage, as will be hereinafter explained.

18 is the usual vaporizer to which the oil is fed and therein vaporized preparatory to its passage to the engine-cylinders during the down or suction strokes oi' their pistons 11. 19 19 are the feed-pipes leading from said vaporizer to the respective cylinders, and 19l 19 are the spring-controlled inletvalves which control the communication between inward during lthe suction-stroke of the pistons, but resume their seat preparatory to IOO and during the reverse stroke of the pistons. 20 2O are the ignition-tubes, arranged upon said cylinders and adapted to ignite the gaseous charges therein. As the vaporizer and the ignition-tubes may be of usual and wellknown construction and operationmo detailed description or illustration thereof is deemed necessary in this connection.

2l 2l are the exhaust-ports in the respective cylinders, and 22 22 the spring-controlled Valves therefor. Bearing upon the stems of these valves are the longer arms of crank-levers 23, the shorter arms of which are provided with antifriction-rollers 2e, that bear against suitably-disposed cams 25 on a shaft 26. This shaft is provided with a spur-wheel 27, which is geared with a pinion 28 on the crank-shaft '16, whereby during the rotation of the latter the cam-shaft 26 is driven and the cams thereon effect the actuation of the coacting levers in a manner to control the operation of the exhaust-valves in respect to the reciprocations of the respective pistons.

The engine above described works on the four-cycle plan, the operation thereof being such that an explosion or impulse occurs at every stroke. The explosion in acylinder of one pair is always opposed by the compression in a cylinder of the opposite pair, the power impulse thus being rst on one side of the axle and then on the other side thereof, and so on in alternate succession. Consequently the whole force of the explosion is initially one-fourth of that Where a single cylinder is used, and a large part of such force is taken up directly by the compression in the opposing cylinder, thus leaving but a small part of the work to be consumed in vibration.

By the construction described all the cylinders work on a common crank, thus materially simplifying and reducing the cost and weight of the structure.

On the respective ends of the crank-shaft are keyed pinions 29 30, that coact with spurwheels 3l 32, respectively, loosely mounted on the elongated bushing G of the driving-axle. The pinions and their respective spur-wheels are of relatively-different diameters, so that by the locking` of either of the spur-wheels to the axle the latter may be driven at a relatively high or low rate of speed, as desired.

Splined on the bushing adjacent to the outer faces of the respective spur-wheels are independently-movable clutch members 33 34, which are adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from corresponding members 35 36, fast on the opposing faces of said wheels, thereby rendering said wheels fast or loose on the bushing, as occasion may require. Each of the movable members has connected thereto a hand-lever 37, whereby it may be readily controlled. From the foregoing it will be seen that the crank-shaft is geared directly with the axle and that by properly adjusting one or the otherof the clutches a high gear may be had for ordinary driving on level roads or a low gear for hill-climbing and for starting in difficult places.

Mounted on the axle is one end of an electric motor 33, the opposite end of which is suspended from the body of the vehicle by a spring 39. On the armature-shaft 40 of the motor is a pinion il, which is geared permanently to the high-gear wheel 3l on the axle, to the end that the motor will be driven at a uniform rate of speed by the engine irrespective of the speed of the carriage. Arranged on the carriage is a series of electric storage batteries 42, which are electrically connected together and with the motor by the conductors 43. A suitable switch ti is provided whereby the circuit to the motor may be made or broken, as desired, and whereby the batteries may be disconnected from each other or coupled together to meet the requirements of service.

Preparatory to starting the engine I 1na nipulate the switch to direct the current from the storage batteries to and through the motor, so as to impart to the latter a few revolutions, and thereby, through the gearing, impel the engine. This being done, the engine starts and its speed increases, and in consequence the counter electromotive force overcomes that due to the batteries, and the motor thereupon acts as a generator and recharges the batteries.

The engine is the driving power. The electric motor is the auxiliary therefor. Vhen it is necessary to ascend a heavy grade rcquiring a momentary increase of power, the series of batteries may by proper manipula tion of the switch be coupled together to increase the electromotive force, in which case the driving power from the motor will be added to that of the engine, thereby insuring a very large surplus of power.

If it be desired to run the carriage backward, I stop the engine entirely, reverse the circuit in the motor-armature, and throw in the low-gear clutch. Thereupon the elect-ric motor drives the carriage backward through the power transmission from the armature to the crank-shaf t, the described system of gearing affording powerful leverage for the motor. Obviously by the construction and organization of parts hereinbefore described the several gears are maintained in absolute parallelism relative to each other.

l. In a motor-vehicle, the combination with the driving-axle, of an engine mounted thereon including a supporting-frame, two series of cylinders whereof one series s disposed on one side of the axle and the other series directly opposite thereto on the other side of the axle, the pistons in said cylinders, a drivingshaft, operative connections between the same and said pistons, and operative connections between said shaft and the axle, sub stantially as described.

2. In a motor-vehicle, the combination with IOO IIO

the driving-axle, of an engine mounted thereon including a supporting-frame, two series of cylinders whereof one series is disposed on one side of the axle and the other series directly opposite thereto on the other side of the axle, the pistons in said cylinder, a driving-shaft, operative connections between the same and said pistons, and differential-speed gearing between said shaft and the axle, substantially `as described.

3. In amotor-vehicle, the combination with the driving-axle, of an internal-combustion engine thereon includinga supporting-frame, four cylinders arranged iny pairs whereoi:` one pair is disposed on one side of the axle and the other pair directly opposite thereto on the other side of the axle, the pistons in said cylinders, a common walking-beam mounted on the frame,operative connections between said beam and the pistons, a driving-shaft, operative connections between the same and the walking-beam,and gearing between said driving-shaft and the axle, substantially as described.

et. In a motor-vehicle, the combination with the driving-axle, of an internal-combustion engine of the character described mounted thereon, said engine including a support-ingfranie, two series of cylinders whereof one series is disposed on one side of the axle and the other series directly opposite thereto on the other side of the axle, a vaporizer, feedpipes leading therefrom to the respective cylinders, inlet-valves for controlling the communication between said. pipes and cylinders, valved exhaust-ports in the respective cylinders, ignition means for said cylinders, the pistons, a driving-shaft, operative connections between the same and the pistons, and means for relatively operating the valves of the exhaust-ports, together with gearing between said driving-shaft and the axle, substantially as described.

5. In a motor-vehicle, the combination with the driving-axle, of an engine and an electromotor supported on said axle, differentialspeed gearing between said engine and the driving-axle, and a gear on the armatureshaft coacting with said speed-gearing, substantially as described.

6. In a motor-vehicle, the combination with the driving-axle, of an engine supported on said axle, a driving-shaft operatively connected with and driven by said engine, differential-speed gearing between said shaft and axle, an electric motor, a source of electric supply therefor, and gearing between said motor and the gearing iirst named, substantially as described.

7. In a motor-vehicle, the combination with the drivin g-axle, of an engine, a driving-shaft operatively connected with and driven by said engine, pinions fast on said shaft, coacting spur-wheels on the axle, said pinions and spurwheels being of relatively-different diameters as described, means whereby said spur-wheels may be rendered fast or loose on the axle, an electric motor, a pinion on the armature-shaft thereof geared to the highspeed spur-wheel on the axle, and a source of electric supply for said motor, substantially as described.

8. In a motorvehicle, the combination with the driving-axle, and its spring-supported boxes, of an engine of the character described whereof the frame is supported on said axle, a brace-bar secured to said frame and to the boxes,a driving-shaftimpelled by said engine, differential gearing between said shaft and the axle, an electric motor one end of which is hung on the axle and the other end is iiexibly suspended from the vehiclebody,a pinion on the armature-shaft of the motor geared with said differential gearing, a source of electric energy on the vehicle electrically oonnected with the motor, and current-controlling means, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto afxed my signature this 17th day of October, A. D. 1899.

' VIGGO V. TORBENSEN.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR RUSSELL, JAS. E. IRWIN. 

